The Developing Person

1. The Developing Person … he allowed himself to be swayed by his conviction that human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mothers give birth to them, but that life obliges them over and over again to give birth to themselves. Gabriel Garcia Marquez

2. Developmental Psychology • Studies physical, cognitive & psychosocial changes across the life span • Two methods of conducting research • Longitudinal research • Study the same participants over a long period of time • Problems: expensive and possible drop-outs • Cross-sectional research • of different ages, studied at same time • Problems: may be something uniquely different about group

3. Piaget • A proponent of the belief that intelligence develops qualitatively with age, as well as quantitatively • Genetic Epistemology • Intellect develops in gradual stages, much as the body does • Hence the term ‘genetic’ does not refer to our genes’ influence on our intelligence but rather as a reference to development

4. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Dev. • Themes of cognitive development • Schemas • Assimilation • Accommodation • Sensorimotor • Birth to 2 years • Learn to coordinate sensory experience & motor behavior • Object constancy (a.k.a. object permanence)

5. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Dev. • Preoperational • Age: 2 to 7 years • Language more sophisticated but still have trouble with mental manipulation of information • Can’t engage in certain mental operations • Conservation • Reversible mental representations • Egocentrism

6. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Dev. • Concrete Operational • Age: 7 to 11 years • Child learns to logically reason about objects • Understands • Conservation (can make transitive inferences) • Formal Operational • Adolescent reasons in more abstract, idealistic and logical ways

7. Moral Development - Piaget • Focused on moral understanding, rather than moral behavior • Three stages of moral development • Moral Realism (0 to 7 yrs) • Morality of Cooperation (7 to 11 yrs) • Moral Relativism (12 yrs & up)

8. Moral Development - Kohlberg • Preconventional • Punishment and obedience orientation • Individualism and purpose • Conventional • Good boy - Nice girl orientation • Society - maintaining orientation • Post-conventional • Community rights vs. personal rights • Universal ethical principle orientation

9. Attachment Theory Research • Ainsworth • Strange Situation • Examines reaction of child to three situations • Exploration • Mom leaves • Mom returns • Attachment styles • Based on history with caregiver, we develop a tendency to relate to others in a certain manner • Can I count on my attachment figure to be available and responsive when I need them?

10. Attachment Theory • Harlow’s monkeys • Wire mesh vs. cloth mothers • Bowlby • Orphans in London • Attachment • An emotional bond to one’s caregiver as an infant • Three components of attachment • Proximity maintenance • Safe haven • Secure base

11. Three Primary Attachment ‘Styles’ • Secure • Yes: Infants feel comfortable to explore, trust a responsive mother • Adults find it easy to trust, want love, don’t fear rejection, see themselves as worthy of affection • Avoidant • No: Infants appear detached from unresponsive or rejecting mother • Adults are aloof, emotionally distant, skeptical of others’ love, fear rejection but still want closeness • Anxious-ambivalent • Maybe: Infants cling to inconsistent caregiver and protest extremely when needs aren’t met • Adults see themselves as misunderstood, lacking in confidence, can be clingy or needy in a relationship

12. Attachment Styles • Attachment styles can change over time • Either through self-motivated growth/deterioration or because of secure/insecure relationship partners • Pairing up • Most secures bond with other secures • Most avoidants bond with secures (a few with anxious-ambivalent, rarely with other avoidants) • Most anxious-ambivalents bond with secures, a few with avoidants (rarely with other anxious-ambivalents)

13. Erikson’s Stages of Development • Trust vs. mistrust • Birth to 1 year • Treatment by caregivers creates trust in a good world • Autonomy vs. shame and doubt • 1 to 2 years • Child is allowed to make independent decisions or is made to feel ashamed/full of doubt about own decisions • Initiative vs. guilt • 3 to 6 years • Child either develops own purpose/direction or is made to feel guilty by overly controlling caregivers

14. Erikson’s Stages of Development • Industry vs. inferiority • 6 to 11 years • Child either feels competent working with others or inferior • Identity vs. role confusion • Adolescence • Adolescent either grasps sense of identity or becomes confused about possible future roles as adult • Intimacy vs. isolation • Young adulthood (ages 20 to 40) • Forming deep/intimate relationships with others or becoming socially isolated

15. Erikson’s Stages of Development • Generativity vs. self-absorption/stagnation • Middle adulthood (ages 40 to 65) • Determining what to leave behind for future generations or failing to grasp a sense of meaning in life • Integrity vs. despair • Late adulthood (ages 65 and up) • Feeling that life was worthwhile or feeling despair about one’s life and fearing death